Cake pop

A cake pop is a form of cake styled as a lollipop. Cake crumbs are mixed with icing or chocolate, and formed into small spheres or cubes in the same way as cake balls, before being given a coating of icing, chocolate or other decorations and attached to lollipop sticks.[1] Cake pops can be a way of using up leftover cake or cake crumbs.

The "cake pop" increased in popularity between 2009 and 2011.[2] A book called "Cake Pop" by Bakerella appeared on the New York Times bestseller list.[when?].[3] Cake pops can be found in many bakeries and grocery stores. In some countries, the Starbucks coffee chain sells cake pops in various flavors.[4]

A video demonstration of the making of cake pops with a melted chocolate coating.

Cake pops use many of the ingredients used in baking a traditional cake and can be made from cakes of any flavor. Many recipes found online use a cake mix instead of creating a cake batter from scratch. Either way, cake pops and cakes have their similarities.

Once the cake has been baked, or when leftovers from an existing cake have been collected, it is crumbled into pieces. These crumbs are mixed into a bowl of frosting or melted chocolate, and the resulting mixture is shaped into balls, cubes or other shapes. Each ball is attached to a lollipop stick. Once the mixture solidifies, it can be decorated with frosting or melted chocolate and sprinkles. The cake balls can be frozen to speed the solidification process.[5]

Most of the time making a cake pop is spent on shaping the cake into a desirable form and decorating it. Simple shapes such as spheres can be molded by hands, but complex shapes require tools. Silicone molding pan and cookie cutters are popular tools used in shaping cake pops.